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iPhone 5 Japanese Carriers
- Thread starter Jjaro
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That's a pretty hostile experience, prvt.donut! I don't understand why it's like this, exactly...could I not pick up a proper nano-sim from Narita then, where naturally visitors / travellers would be expected and welcomed (as opposed to prvt.donut's brother's experience)?
Furthermore, which provider would you guys recommend for visitors? Again, thank you very much for the links and the counsel. I will be there for roughly 6 weeks and it would be very convenient to have access to maps, for example (and I think Google maps uses up a great deal of data, correct?). Apple's nascent, native maps app probably will not have full Tokyo / Osaka support, for instance, in the next couple of months I'd imagine?
Furthermore, which provider would you guys recommend for visitors? Again, thank you very much for the links and the counsel. I will be there for roughly 6 weeks and it would be very convenient to have access to maps, for example (and I think Google maps uses up a great deal of data, correct?). Apple's nascent, native maps app probably will not have full Tokyo / Osaka support, for instance, in the next couple of months I'd imagine?
I think for visitors (staying less than 90 days, not permanent resident) this is the only reasonable choice: http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/english/u300_visitor.html since you'll pretty much need to be a permanent resdident and have the "gaijin card" in Japan to open any new mobile account.
Anyone pick up an iPhone 5 today? Getting mine from my local SoftBank store at 3:30. Damn I hope Gifu has LTE set up and ready to go!
My wife got her iPhone 5 from au; the second thing I will do is speed test and compare her LTE with my xi Wifi router.
Update: Wow, that phone is soo light
Update: Wow, that phone is soo light
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Is anyone else in Tokyo with an AU contract experiencing a tendency for the iPhone 5 to stick to Edge, even in areas where LTE is available?
I have to constantly toggle airplane mode to get it back.
{sent from the Yamanote line... Via edge.}
I have to constantly toggle airplane mode to get it back.
{sent from the Yamanote line... Via edge.}
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I used to use Softbank iPhone, and I never had any trouble at all. I moved to AU because KDDI gave me a great discount from its promo. And again, I never have any trouble. Maybe I'm just lucky.
DOCOMO has its own strategy. Docomo's executives don't want Apple ruins their strategy, I guess. Or maybe they don't like to change.
Don't they believe in profit anymore?
By the way, Softbank acquisition on other carriers, I think, will boost their network quality.
DOCOMO has its own strategy. Docomo's executives don't want Apple ruins their strategy, I guess. Or maybe they don't like to change.
Don't they believe in profit anymore?
By the way, Softbank acquisition on other carriers, I think, will boost their network quality.
I am blown away that you said that you "never had any trouble" with Softbank. It was exactly like my experience with AT&T in the US: so many dropped calls, it just didn't matter after a while; extremely slow data speeds; and absolutely terrible service coverage. I ended up deciding to switch to AU since I couldn't get an actual contract with Docomo. (Loving my new iPhone 5 BTW. I switched from an iPhone 4.) So far very happy with AU. Great 3G coverage, good, clearer, and faster connecting voice coverage, and much faster 3G internet than Softbank. I really think it's GSM technology vs CDMA. I have always thought that CDMA was more reliable, simply based on how the technology works, and now I am experiencing the truth for myself. It's a beautiful thing.
Also, with AU having not only pretty decent LTE coverage so far (I live in Yokosuka, and was pleasantly surprised to see some areas with LTE coverage), but went to see my girlfriend in Totorri this weekend. Her cable internet out there has terrible speeds, so I decided, just for ***** and giggles, to see if my tethered iPhone 5 was faster on AU's 3G network. Get this: it was! Noticeably too!